And the Story of the Narayana
Necklace (materialisation on July 3rd, 2005)

Swami returned to Parthi from Brindavan on
June 18, 2005 , in the afternoon. The Lord
Who is the Master of Time, did not waste any
time in giving an invigorating Divine
Discourse on Seva activities to be performed
in the drought affected villages of the
region the very next day.

JUNE 19,
2005 : A DIVINE DISCOURSE

In Sai
Kulwant Hall, in the afternoon of June 19,
2005 , Swami said, "In Bharat, of late, we
have been coming across a number of
problems. This is quite natural. But it is
our responsibility to enquire and
investigate. In the last couple of months
there have been a number of problems and
obstacles that have caused a loss of
happiness and bliss to people. More than our
studies, our actions are important. We must
necessarily make an effort to improve the
existing situation.

There is
no water to drink. Earlier we have taken
every care to supply water for drinking. Now
the problem is very severe and has spread
all over Anantapur District. We are not born
merely to earn a living, we do not study
merely to fill our stomachs; all that we
have learnt must be put into practice to
serve our fellowmen and community.

We have to
realise the plight of the people in every
district. We must first convince ourselves
and then share with others the Supreme Will
and Mystery of God. Food should be served
when one is hungry. One must determine to
undertake the task though it may be
strenuous. Service cannot be done by wealth
alone. We need men of character. Foreigners
too will be participating in this mega
service programme.

We have to
supply drinking water to every village. The
problem does not end there. We must supply
food too. All aged 10 years and above must
participate in this programme. We must be
determined to accomplish the project in its
entirety. Temperament and attitude is very
important".

(Editors
note: Currently planning for the project is
almost complete and the project will
commence as soon as Swami gives His
blessings)

JUNE 20: A
DRAMA BY THE ORPHANAGE BOYS - "LOKA SAMASTHA
SUKHINO BHAVANTU"

On June
20, on the third anniversary of the Sri
Sathya Sai Deena Janodharana Pathakam
(Swami's orphanage), the inmates presented a
programme to express their thanks to
Bhagavan for waking them up from a life of
destitution to His benign, soothing lap and
giving them a new life altogether.

On this
day, they presented some of Swami's wisdom
imparted through precepts and parables by
means of a dance drama, dedicated with
reverence at His Lotus Feet. They used
Potana's (a great poet from Andhra Pradesh)
prayer poem, Evvani che Janinchu,
to set the tone of total surrender in the
presentation.

Reverberating to the undercurrent of a drum
beat (to warn of the futility of running
after riches), the drama was an eclectic
mixture of songs, dances, Burra Katha
(a popular Telugu rural folk art of story
telling) and short skits. The well rehearsed
drama effectively brought out Swami's main
teachings on the importance of Satsang
(good company), Namasmarana
(Continuous recitation of the Lord's name),
Morality (Money comes and goes, morality
comes and grows) through effective short
skits.

The last
skit of a fisherwoman who pulls out a boy
from the sea and brings him to the local
doctor who even refuses to see him as he is
otherwise occupied in the paper currency
chase. The boy (who dies because of the lack
of timely help) turns out to be the doctor's
own son. Sai's vibhuti however
brings the young boy to life and also
kindles the flame of service in the now
reformed doctor.

All the 62
inmates participated in the drama. After the
drama, Swami called the children to Him
(scene by scene) and profusely blessed them
all.

JUNE 21: A
FOLK DANCE BY VILLAGERS FROM CHHATTISGARH

The Sathya
Sai Seva Organization from the district of
Durg in the Indian State of Chhattisgarh in
India have adopted a few villages in their
immediate area for service activities like
providing drinking water, conducting medical
camps, distributing clothes and blankets to
the poor and needy, renovating temples, and
conducting group marriages. The people from
these villages along with the Seva Dals from
the area came on a 'Parthi Yatra'
(Pilgrimage to Parthi) to express their
grateful homage at Bhagavan's Lotus Feet.

As part of their
celebration they performed a folk dance from
the heart of Chhattisgarh called "Panthi
Nritya", before the Lord. It was performed
by a tribal group called Satnamis. The
various dance postures depict how the
dancers worship their guru Sant Ghasidas.
Their dance master Sri Dev Das Banjare has
received many national and international
awards and has performed in 64 countries.
Swami was deeply engrossed at this vibrant
fast paced dance with a rural flavour that
included loud drum beats and cymbals, which
lasted for about 30 minutes.

After the
dance, the leader of the troupe Sri
Srinivas, briefed Swami about their service
activities. Swami looked through all the
photographs and asked him details about all
the seva activities for a full 20
minutes. "Chala Santosam" was the
divine response at the end - "Very Happy",
and it brought broad smiles on the faces of
all the Seva Dals.

The
devotees of Chhattisgarh also had the
opportunity to perform the bhajans
for Swami that evening.

JUNE 23rd:
TALKS BY SRI ANIL GOKAK AND SRI S.V.GIRI AND
AN UNEXPECTED DIVINE DISCOURSE

Bhagavan was out in this
evening at 4.00 p.m. He stopped the Vedam
chanting at 4.05 p.m. and commanded Prof.
Anil Gokak - the current Vice Chancellor of
the Sri Sathya Sai Institute to speak a few
words.

Prof. Gokak
stated his talk by recalling the early part
of his father's life (His father Dr. V.K.
Gokak was the first vice-chancellor of the
Institute). He also went down memory lane
and stated that Bhagavan had extended his
mother's life by 18 years and his father's
life by 5 years. Continuing he related how
he came to Swami's fold. Referring to
Swami's social projects, he aptly referred
to Bhagavan as a 'Vedantic Socialist'. He
concluded his talk by drawing an analogy
between an Avatar and a pilot who
temporarily brings down his plane to the
ground to take a few passengers and then
return back to the skies!

Swami next
commanded Sri S.V. Giri, the former
Vice-Chancellor to share his thoughts with
the audience. Sri S.V. Giri also struck a
personal note talking about the heart
surgery that he had for the first time in
1989. Over time, though another 4 of the 5
heart passages had been blocked, Bhagavan
had said there was no need for any further
surgery. And he has been continuing to
discharge all his responsibilities - purely
on account of Bhagavan's Grace!

He then
shared how Swami had made sure that his
resignation from the post of the CVC
(Central Vigilance Commissioner) -
Government of India was accepted without any
complications. Sri Giri stressed on the
three most important facets of this
Institute - Service, Society and Faith. He
concluded his talk by stressing on the Truth
elucidated by our scriptures that all is
one.

Next to
the delight of all Swami gave His Divine
Message. Mikes were soon kept in place.
Swami asked all the students to come closer
and naturally they were most happy, climbing
all the way right up the steps. Swami, in
His discourse, initially described in
elaborate terms the spiritual journey of
Prof. Vinayak Gokak - the father of the
current Vice-Chancellor and the first
Vice-Chancellor of the Sri Sathya Sai
Institute of Higher - to Swami. Swami
elaborated on how He helped Sri Gokak
understand the difference between Atma and
Anatma, Sathyam and Nityam and helped him
realize the Eternal Truth.

Swami also
said that when Vyashti (individual)
identifies himself with Samashti
(community), only then can he realise
Parameshti (God). It is very difficult
to understand Parameshti which is
beyond both Vyashti and
Samashti. There will be harmony between
Vyashti and Samashti when
one develops equanimity. Vyashti
i.e. the individual constitutes
Samashti, the community and
Samashti is the collective form of
Vyashti. One who understands this
relationship between Vyashti,
Samashti and Parameshti (God)
can know the truth. We can understand the
reality only when we transcend worldliness.
Total change cannot come instantly. Gokak
understood and held on to this truth fully
well and forgot everything else, Swami said.

JULY 4:
THE ONLY ELEMENT- A DRAMA BY DEVOTEES FROM
REGION X , USA

The Sai
Spiritual Education Children from the Texas
region of USA put up a drama to celebrate
the Independence Day of the United States .
The North American continent before it was
"discovered" was home to the Native
Americans who respected Nature and
worshipped the 5 elements as life sustaining
forces and as the Great Spirits.

The play
was inspired in part by the history of this
culture by drawing on the story of the
celebration of Thanksgiving. The early
pilgrims who arrived tired, cold and hungry,
from across the seas were well received by
the natives. They gave them seeds to plant
and helped them settle down in their adopted
land. Next autumn, when the pilgrims had a
bountiful harvest, they decided to offer
thanks to the Lord for the bounty and
invited the natives to join them in the
celebration. This was the first American
Thanksgiving, and it is still being
celebrated, though the people in the cities
and towns have lost touch with Nature and
the Elements. In the present day,
Thanksgiving in America is an occasion for
families and perhaps close friends to get
together to celebrate with food and plenty.

The story
revolves around 2 boys - Shawn (from a good,
affluent family that however has lost touch
with the hardships faced by the poor) and
Sid (whose affluent family serve the poor
and needy as service to the Lord Himself).

After one
Thanksgiving Day feast, Shawn goes with
Sid's family as they serve food to the
homeless at the downtown shelter and has an
intriguing experience. Realizing the bounty
of the gift of food provided by Mother
Earth, he goes on to serve a thirsty
person Water, gives a blanket to a
shivering person (Fire), and a fan
provides Air to a person wilting in
the heat; all this happens in the space (Ether)
created by God.

This
brings home to Shawn the connection between
service and the five elements that make up
the entire Universe. Above all, the seva
experience makes Shawn evolve and realize
that the Only Element is LOVE??.

JULY 18:
ASHADA EKADASHI CELEBRATIONS

THE MORNING PROGRAMME:
Drama "God Is The Only Friend" By The Bala
Vikas Children Of Mumbai.

Drawing
inspiration from their proximity to the film
industry in Mumbai, popularly known as
"Bollywood", the kids bring out that man
today lives in the delusion that he is the
doer. The true reality however is that the
doer is someone infinitely more
powerful?more effulgent?more grand?God
Himself.

The story
revolves around Amit Kumar, a "hero" (a
leading man) in the film industry who is
currently riding tall on the crest of the
success of his latest movie at the box
office. This brings him numerous accolades
and of course the fair weather friends and
sycophants, who praise him and his abilities
to the sky.

Though
Amit always starts his new ventures with a
prayer to the Lord, he however believes he
is infallible and that he can do everything.
Predictably, the next venture "Dost" (into
which he has sunk all his life savings)
fails miserably at the box-office in India
and he is staring at total ruin. All his
friends desert him and he is thus totally
alone.

This is
when God (Who has been in the back-ground
all the time) enters his life and shows our
hero, that in life God is the only friend.
Amit realizes the error of his ways swiftly
- that the real doer is God and that man is
only a witness. The story ends on a happy
note in that Amit's picture does well at the
box-office abroad thus saving Amit from
ruin.

With
gorgeous film style sets, fast foot-tapping
songs and colourful vibrant dances, it was
certainly a different fare than what is
normally seen in Sai Kulwant Hall, but one
that resonated well with the crowd and drove
the point home. The organizers additionally
provided a wrist band inscribed with the
words "God is the only friend" so one could
also literally take the message home.

THE
EVENING PROGRAMME: Drama "Krishna-Uddhava"
By The Bala Vikas Children and Youth Wing Of
the Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organizations,
Nagpur

In the
evening there was another rich feast in
store, continuing with the same theme of
friendship with the Lord, offered by the
children of Nagpur - a musical ballet
entitled "Krishna-Uddhava'.

'Krishna-Uddhava' depicted the saga of the
unique love and friendship that existed
between Uddhava and Krishna . Even from
childhood, Krishna was Uddhava's dearest
friend and his very life-breath. Krishna too
reciprocated by the words,

'Na
thatha me priystham aathmyonirna shankara

Na cha
sankarshano na shri naivaatma cha yatha
bhavaan' .

'O Uddhava,
Siva, Brahma, Balaram, Lakshmi and even my
very own Atma are not as dear to me as you
are'.

The
musical ballet brought out tenderly how
right from a very early age, Uddhava yearned
from the innermost recesses of his heart to
make Krishna his best friend. Sitting,
lying, walking, sleeping, talking, eating
and playing with Krishna , Uddhava lived as
Krishna 's shadow - two bodies with one
heart as it were.

One day
Krishna sends him to visit His parents in
Brindavan and also to bring solace to His
dear devotees - the Gopikas. Uddhava, who
was a Jnani - a man of wisdom, was
rather proud of his learning and knowledge
so Krishna wanted him to experience the all
encompassing bliss that could be derived
from the total surrender and love of the
Lord. From the simple cowherd maids, the
Gopikas, the learned Uddhava witnessed,
experienced and learnt Bhakthi or
total devotion to the Lord.

In the
final scene, known in the Bhagavatham as the
Uddhava Gita, Krishna helps Uddhava realize
his oneness with the Lord. He gifted him His
Padukas, or divine sandals, the symbol of
the Divine Lotus Feet and the ultimate goal
of all devotees.

The
musical ballet ends poignantly by inspiring
all of us to grasp this opportunity and make
Sai our dearest friend.

On Ladies'
Day, 19th November 2004 , Swami inaugurated
the Easwaramma Women's Welfare Project. As a
follow-up to it, with Swami's infinite Grace
and Blessings, the Easwaramma Women's
Welfare Trust was established to benefit
women at large. It was founded on the
teachings of Bhagavan to reach out to the
problems of women in a meaningful way, and
bring peace and comfort, without any
distinction of religion, caste, colour or
creed.

Under the
auspices of the Easwaramma Women's Welfare
Project, a Mother and Child health care
programme will be offered in villages on a
regular basis providing the foundation for a
healthy society. The programme is initially
operational in the villages in and around
Puttaparthi with the scope slowly expanding
to include a growing number of villages. The
Mother and Child programme will schedule
monthly visits to villages and include
trained doctors, nurses and volunteers. The
groups will be equipped with all the
necessary equipment to conduct pre-natal
checkups for monitoring the health of the
mother and foetus, provide nutritional
supplements and education on health care
during pregnancy.

Additionally, the Easwaramma Self-Help
Programme for women seeks to empower women
to achieve self reliance and to provide a
means of steady livelihood and thereby
improve the health and quality of life of
women and their families. The programme will
train women in making a variety of useful
and saleable products using locally
available and environmentally friendly raw
materials for sustained development.

On the morning
of the 19th, Swami came to inaugurate the
premises of the Easwaramma Women's Welfare
Trust. Spending over half an hour, He
visited all the rooms in the building and
listened with interest to the presentations
and blessed all the aspects of the programme
including the Mother and Child medical van
parked right outside. After taking
arathi, Bhagavan left to give
darshan to the devotees assembled in
Sai Kulwant Hall.

THE
EVENING PROGRAMME: Concerts By Renowned
Women Artists

The
afternoon served up a delectable feast of
music to please everyone's heart by two of
the most renowned artists of India .
Featured were Vidushi Sumitra Guha singing
Hindustani - the classical music of North
India and Ms Bombay Jayashri Ramnath singing
Carnatic Vocal Music widely prevalent in
Southern India .

Vidushi
Sumitra Guha hails from Tirupathi in Andhra
Pradesh and is a disciple of the great
Pandit A. Kanan and Vidushi Malobika Kanan.
Smt Sumitra Guha was accompanied on the
tabla by Annirudh Mukherjee, on the
flute by Rajesh Prasanna, on the manjira
by Shoubik Mukherjee. Ms Padmaja
Chakravarthy accompanied her on the
harmonium and Shrabani Mukherjee on the
tanpura rounded off the group. The
spontaneity of her rendition, the depth of
her style, the sweetness of her melody and
above all the passion in execution left
everyone in raptures and lifted them well
above the mundane and petty problems of
daily life.

Ms Bombay
Jayashri Ramnath was groomed in her initial
years in Carnatic Music by her parents.
Later, under the tutelage of Smt.T R
Balamani, Jayashri took to the path of
pursuing her music seriously and added
substantively to her repertoire. In 1989,
she had the rare privilege of enrolling
herself as a disciple of the legend Shri
Lalgudi G Jayaraman. Harnessing a facile and
mellifluous voice with great restraint and
dignity she presented her music with a rare
charisma which had the audience spellbound.
Her voice flowed like dew drops on a new
leaf and easily made the audience forget
themselves and the hot muggy afternoon. Ms
Ramnath was accompanied by V V S Murari on
the violin, Poongolum Subramaniam on the
mridangam and Jayalakshmi Sekar on the
tamboora.

But more
was yet to come. Seeing Smt Parveen Sultana
in the audience, the divine finger went up
and beckoned. Smt Sultana, another great
exponent of Hindustani music, came forward
and gave obeisance at the feet of the Lord.
He very sweetly blessed her by asking her to
sing for the audience. He also called her
husband and blessed him profusely. Being
very happy at this unexpected bonus, Smt
Parveen Sultana seated herself next to
Vidushi Sumitra Guha, borrowed a tanpura,
and quickly tuned it to her satisfaction. A
few hurried words and instructions to the
accompaniment and she gave a soul-stirring
rendering of 2 or 3 songs that was like the
icing on the cake.

But all
good things have to end, and so did that
mesmerising afternoon. The audience was so
entranced that most of them were reluctant
to leave the blissful atmosphere in Sai
Kulwant Hall created by the musicians.

JULY 20:
GURUPOORNIMA CONCERT BY THE SAI SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA

The Sai
Symphony Orchestra, comprising of 59
musicians from l7 countries, performed a
concert of Western Classical Music in the
Divine Presence of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai
Baba on the eve of Guru Poormima - July 20,
2005 , in Sai Kulwant Hall. The orchestra,
led by Swiss conductor Klaus Maurer,
prepared this challenging programme in only
five days. The members of the orchestra met
the challenge and performed as a unified
group, epitomizing Bhagavan's message of
unity in diversity.

The
one-hour programme opened with the
Marriage of Figaro Overture by Austrian
composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This
lively work conveys excitement and
anticipation, appropriate for the thousands
of devotees gathered to celebrate Guru
Poornima. The next selection was the last
movement of Symphony No. 7 by the
German composer Ludwig Van Beethoven. This
work conveys determination, a strength that
comes from unwavering faith in God Next came
the tuneful and humorous Italian in
Algiers Overture by Italian Giacomo
Rossini, a work that features the tiny
flute, the piccolo. The piccolo represented
the young Krishna, as He stole butter and
played with His friends. Then the orchestra
played two Slavonic Dances by Czech
composer Antonin Dvorak. Dvorak's music was
inspired by the songs and dances of the
peasants of the Czech countryside. Another
piece by Beethoven followed, this time the
4th movement of his famous

Symphony No.5. The 5th Symphony
expresses Beethoven's personal struggle
with adversity, culminating with his
ultimate victory as expressed in the 4th
movement. The final work on the programme
was the Boda de Alonso by Spanish
composer Geronimo Jimenez. This music, with
its strong Spanish dance rhythms and the
wonderful percussion instrument colours,
expressed the musicians' happiness and
gratitude for being given this precious
opportunity to perform for Swami.

At the
conclusion of the concert, Swami was very
happy with the orchestra, and asked that the
orchestra play more. The orchestra responded
with a joyful and spirited repeat
performance of the Jimenez Boda de
Alonsa. Swami blessed the conductor by
speaking to him for many minutes,
materializing a gold chain for him, and
posed for photographs with him. It was
indeed a joyous occasion for every musician.
The orchestra looks forward to performing a
new programme of music for Swami in November
as part of the 80th Birthday celebrations.

JULY 21:
THE GURU POORNIMA CELEBRATIONS

THE
MORNING PROGRAMME - Four Speakers And The
Divine Discourse

Bhagavan
arrived in the fully packed Sai Kulwant Hall
at 7:30 a.m. to the accompaniment of
Nadaswaram, Panchavadyam and
Veda chanting. After blessing the
devotees Bhagavan took His seat on the dais
specially decorated for the occasion.

Sri
Srinivasan touched upon the significance of
the Guru Poornima celebrations and said that
Guru Poornima is the day when we receive
transcendental vibrations from the Sadguru,
our beloved Swami. Stating that His
universal love encompasses the whole of
humanity, he stressed that all that we need
to do is develop faith in Him.

The next
speaker, Prof. G. Venkataraman highlighted
the roles of the Guru and the Sadguru and
its importance in the present times when the
world is marred with strife and conflicts.
Prof. Venkataraman, quoting Bhagavan,
mentioned that the role of a Guru is to
scrub and clean our hearts to see that it
shines forth with the wisdom that is latent
in it. Let this day remind all of us these
ancient truths encapsulated in our holy
scriptures, Prof. Venkataraman reiterated.

The student speaker
narrated incidents from the stories told by
Sri Ramakrishna and anecdotes from Sage
Narada?s life to stress the importance of
the power of God?s name. The student,
echoing the great significance of the
physical proximity of Bhagavan, urged the
gathering that it is the duty of each and
every devotee that he or she imbibes the
teachings of Bhagavan and put the same into
practice in everyday life.

The
last speaker - Mr. Anil Vinayak Gokak, in
his enlightening speech gave a glimpse of
the role of Bhagavan as the Supreme Guru.
?Gu? is Gunatheetha and ?Ru? is
Rupa Varjitha; Formless and
Attributeless. The difference between the
Guru and the Teacher is that the teacher
imparts knowledge whereas the Guru imparts
impulses which are transformational in
nature. He urged the devotees to review, to
introspect as to where one stands and the
extent of progress one has made in their
spiritual journey.

Bhagavan
started His divine discourse talking about
the consequences of one's actions. He said,"
People may act as they please, but they
cannot escape from the consequences of their
actions. Whether he is a pamara
(simpleton) or a mahaneeya (noble
soul), he has to face the results of his
actions. Wherever you go, the results of
your actions will follow you like your
shadow. However, it is possible to escape
from the consequences of action by the grace
of God. God is always by your side saying ?Tathastu!?,
?Tathastu!? (so shall it be!). Man is
not taking cognisance of this truth and is
indulging in wicked deeds."

Towards
the end of the discourse, Bhagavan
electrified the audience by revealing that
He had supplied water to East and West
Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh. In His
words, " The Water Supply Project works in
East and West Godavari districts are nearing
completion. We have already drawn plans for
a water supply project in the Krishna
District also. Water is very essential for
the survival of everyone. It is the
sustainer of life. What else can be of
greater service than providing drinking
water to the needy? It is the source and
sustenance of life. I do not expect any
rituals or worship from you. I am doing it
out of My love for you. East Godavari , West
Godavari and Krishna districts are now being
covered under the Sri Sathya Sai Drinking
Water Supply Project. The people of those
districts are extremely happy. There can be
no greater service than providing drinking
water."

After His
Divine discourse, Bhagavan released the 5th
Volume of His Biography 'Sathyam Sivam
Sundaram' and also a set of books called
'Pancharatnas' or 'The Five Gems' about the
life and mission of Bhagavan, brought out as
a souvenir on the occasion of the 80th year
of the advent of the Avatar.

THE AFTERNOON PROGRAMME - A Musical
programme On Rama By The Institute Students

In the
afternoon, the students from the Sri Sathya
Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prashanti
Nilayam Campus enthralled one and all by
bringing the life-story of Lord Rama alive
through mellifluous rendering of Ramakatha
in the immediate Divine Presence of Sai
Rama.

The
programme was planned and executed by Swami
Himself. On July 10th, the boys had put up a
music programme in Sai Kulwant Hall. But
Swami occasionally interrupted in the middle
of a song and asked the boys to sing a
different song. When the boys had sung about
half that song, He would ask them to sing
yet another one. And so on, it went. The
boys were perplexed. Are we singing out of
tune? Is Swami displeased with us? At the
end of the programme, the boys went up
meekly to talk to Swami, and Swami was very
reassuring. He said that He was very happy.
Looking back now, after the sequence of
events that transpired later, He was
probably seeing what songs the boys could
sing well, selecting the songs and putting
the pieces together for a musical
performance, though it was not at all
obvious at that time.

On July
12, in the morning, the divine Lord
unexpectedly dropped in onto the College
campus just as the boys had finished their
morning prayers. The music boys were
summoned and quickly sent to the hostel to
get their musical instruments. And what
followed at the closed door session can at
best only be described as a "love feast". A
private musical session with Swami. What a
rare privilege and blessing!

Swami
declared that He wanted them to play in
public, but it was still not clear, when and
where? And this routine would repeat in the
next few days. More often than not, Swami
would come almost on a daily basis just
after the boys had finished their classes
for these "practise" sessions.

And the
music programme evolved step by step. After
the songs had been selected, there was a
selection of the right kind of instruments
to be in the orchestra, the seating
arrangements, the order of songs and so on
it went. Swami even advised the singers to
take care of their health, not eat too much
spicy food, and also avoid ice-creams and
cold drinks.

At this
time, we in Heart to Heart were working on
the cover story for this month's issue (on
the School of Business Management ) and we
were actually seeing the Avatar's management
technique at work. A slight nudge here, just
a teeny suggestion there, but mostly by His
presence and encouragement, Swami the
quintessential manager, was silently
bringing the programme to life. His
enthusiasm was contagious and soon the whole
Institute and even the devotees were
engrossed in Swami's "latest" project.

D-Day -
Guru Poornima afternoon dawned, and Swami
came to the Mandir early at 2:30 PM itself.
He personally supervised the makeup of the 2
singers paying attention to the minutest
detail. He talked with everyone, relieved
their tension and put them in a
contemplative frame of mind so they could
sing about Lord Rama from the bottom of
their hearts.

And what a
glorious concert, it was. Emotions were
elevated till lumps formed in the throat and
the body tingled with the thrill of
listening to their mellifluous, dulcet
voices, dripping with bhakthi,
singing in unison praises of Lord Rama.
After the invocation, the boys sang Namo
Sathya Sai Baba, Kandalo Nelakonna,
Dheera Sameere, and Yamuna Teere.

This was
followed by Madhura Mohana Ghanashyama,
Challa Gaalilo Yamuna Tatipai, Rama
Katha and the last Manishini
Madhvuni Jeya. In the penultimate song,
a group of dancers with their vibrant steps
and meaningful hand gestures, brought to
life the emotions expressed in the song.

What a
sweet and enchanting programme - singing the
praise of the Lord, presented by the Lord
Himself!

JULY 22:
An All Day Inter-Faith Conference On The
Theme - The Religion Of Love

On July
22, we had a very interesting day here in
Sai Kulwant Hall. An interfaith conference
had been arranged with representatives from
Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and
Hinduism to talk about love and peace as
expressed in their religion.

First to
speak was Maulana Wahiduddin Khan,
an Islamic and spiritual scholar,
who has adopted peace as his life's mission.
In 1970 he established the Islamic Centre in
New Delhi , India and is its president. He
has published over 200 books. His
commentaries of the Holy Quran (in English
and Arabic) and an encyclopaedia of the
Quran, done under his direction, are ready
for publication. Among his awards is the
Demiurgus Peace International Award 2002,
for his outstanding achievements in
strengthening peace among nations and
developing a complete ideology of peace. He
said that in the sacred Koran there are 6500
verses and most of them pertain to love and
peace. In fact he said, the very first verse
is about love and the verse is repeated 114
times in the Quran. He narrated incidents
from the life of the prophet Mohammed to
show that he saw no differences in religion,
culture and race. Love and peace are
synonymous, he said.

Representing
Buddhism next was Sri Ahangamage Tudor
Ariyaratne He is the founder of the
Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri
Lanka . He has doctorates from Emilo
Aguinaldo College , Philippines , and Sri
Jayawardenapura University, Sri Lanka . Dr.
Ariyaratne has received many awards,
including the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize,
India , and the Niwano Peace Prize, Japan .
He has been President of the World
Parliament of Religions. Lord Buddha, said
Sri Ariyaratne, asked everyone to love all
life as a mother loves her only child. In
every sphere of life transform love into
action as love by itself is not enough. On a
personal note he talked about the time he
first came to Swami in 1982 and since then
he dedicates all his actions as an offering
to Swami.

Speaking
first in the afternoon was Father Henry
Fehren who was ordained as a priest of the
Holy Catholic Church in 1948 in St. Cloud ,
Minnesota , USA . He now conducts his
pastoral and counselling duties in New York
. He has taught at several colleges and
universities in America and England and has
written many books and articles. On TV and
radio, he expounds the universal tenants of
Love and mutual acceptance of all others. He
has received 13 awards from the Catholic
Press Association and one from the National
Religious Press. Jesus said that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me. Sai Baba
says primarily the same thing, said Fr
Fehren, when He says that God is in each one
of us. To love your neighbour is to love God
and to do evil in the name of God is the
worst evil. Real love is not easy for love
is not a romantic, unrealistic emotion. It
is not enough to just love those who love
you. Quoting the example of Jesus, Fr Fehren
said, Jesus loved Judas who betrayed Him;
and also loved Peter who denied Him.

On behalf of
Judaism, we had Rabbi David Zeller,
an internationally known singer,
teacher, story teller, and writer, and a
pioneer in Jewish spirituality and
meditation. After organizational development
for the kibbutz movement in 1970 and living
as a sadhu in India in 1971, he was
professor at the Institute of Transpersonal
Psychology from 1975. He founded the Network
of Conscious Judaism in 1980 and directed
the Shevet Centre for Jewish Spirituality
and Meditation, in Jerusalem . Saying that
the Kabala means to receive, he said that
the world has to receive one another with
love. He said that a body is healthy when
all the organs work in harmony. So too it is
with the body of humankind. It is only
healthy when all cultures and religions play
their part. Love your neighbour as yourself.
See God in yourself and in others.

Speaking
last on behalf of Hinduism. was Sri P.S.
Jayarama Sastrigal, a Sanskrit pandit
and scholar. He received his education at
Vyakarana Sironmani, Annamalai
University . He has been conducting Hindu
ritual worship for over 50 years as:
Asthana Vidhyavaan of the Padhuga
Trust, Madurai , and Aasthana Vidhvaan
at Raja Rajeswari Aalayam, Ramnad
Samasthanam. Titles conferred on him
include: Aanmiga Chemmal, Upanyasa
Thilakam and Muhavai Periyavar.
He has written several books, including
Deepa Sthothram, 108 Sivarpana Vilva
Sthothram, and Ganapathi
Suprabatham, and he has several audio
releases. Sri Sastrigal told an interesting
story about how the 5 fingers had an
argument as to who was the greatest. The
thumb said it was the greatest as without it
the other fingers could not work. The index
finger laid claim to the title as it was
used to point to people. The middle finger
said it was the biggest in size, while the
ring finger said that people were honoured
by putting a ring only on that finger. The
little finger could lay no such claims.
Meekly it said that it was the most blessed
as God saw only the little finger first when
we bring our hands together to prostrate
before Him. Using this story as the theme,
He brought out examples to show that love
and humility are necessary to win the love
of God. He also spoke on a personal note
about his relationship with Swami and how He
had saved him on numerous occasions.

It was a
thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating day.
While it has not been possible to do justice
due to space limitations, we will carry all
the speeches on Radio Sai for your listening
pleasure in the future.

JULY 23rd
AND 24th - CONCLUDING PROGRAMMES OF THE GURU
POORNIMA CELEBRATIONS

July 23rd
- "Mahapurush Sankardeva" - A Drama By The
Bala Vikas Children Of Assam

On the
evening of the 23rd, Bala Vikas children
from Assam put up a play entitled Mahapurush
Sankardeva, a saint during whose time Assam
experienced a period of great spiritual;
awakening.

Starting
with 2 dance prayers - Mangalacharan
and Devi Vandana, the play
presented a few episodes on the life and
sports of Lord Krishna's childhood days.
Popular events like the stealing of butter
from the houses of the Gopis by the cowherd
child God (Labanu Chori),
liberation of Nal-Kuber by Krishna (Arjun
Bhanjan), killing of the demon-snake
Kaliya and banishing him to the Ramana
island (Kaliya Daman) - were
re-enacted and set to lilting music. The
presentation was enriched by depicting a few
other items drawn from the great spiritual
heritage of Assam and the spiritual revival
it experienced during the time of Srimanta
Sankardeva.

July 24th
- Distribution Of Sewing Machines And
Grinding Machines By The Teachers From The
Anantapur College

In the morning
the teachers of the Anantapur College
distributed sewing machines and wet grinding
machines to poor and needy women selected
from the Anantapur District. The women one
by one obtained blessings from Bhagavan and
laid a flower at His Lotus Feet. This small
gift (of a sewing machine or a wet grinder)
would empower these women to obtain some
income and help support their family.
Following the distribution, the students of
the Anantapur campus regaled the Lord with
group songs and bhajans before
arathi was taken.

The
Story of the Narayana NecklaceJuly 3rd 2005

Ever since
Swami started the Veda chanting in Sai
Kulwant Hall way back on September 18th,
2003 , there has been very good progress and
interest in the Vedas. Not only do a
majority of students in Swami's Institutions
(including the primary school) chant the
Vedas with the aplomb of learned Brahmin
priests, but there is also a world-wide
resurgence, with devotees in many countries
learning to roll the ancient Sanskrit words
on their Western tongues.

According
to ancient lore, the body of knowledge was
embodied as the four Vedas (Rig
Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharvana
Veda) by Lord Narayana Himself for the
welfare of humanity. This very sacred body
of knowledge was thus gifted to man by the
Supreme Lord to help him evolve and elevate
himself from the level of humanity to the
level of divinity.

One of
Swami's oft stated mission is veda
poshana or nourishment of the Vedas and
to restore its pre-eminence and pristine
glory in human society. So while we devotees
have made progress in learning the Vedas by
rote and perhaps even chant it for the most
part with an acceptable intonation, we still
need to ask the question - is it enough? Is
this all that Swami wants?

There is a
story of a religious saint reciting a holy
text loudly with intense feeling. Another
learned saint, perhaps a little wiser,
gently asks the first one whether he
understood what he was reciting. The first
one replied that he had no need to
understand it, for he was reciting it for
his God and his God understood it perfectly.

This
quaint story perhaps best summarises our
situation also. Are we smug in the belief
that Swami is coming to sit in Sai Kulwant
Hall and derives pleasure from listening to
our chanting of the Vedas? Or perhaps, does
He now want us to make the next step and
actually understand the meaning. After all,
this Veda chanting business is really for
our own benefit not for the benefit or
pleasure of the Lord. So while we now chant
it blissfully thinking "He understands even
if we do not", it is perhaps time to make
the next step and understand the meaning so
we can chant it with full feeling, intensity
and involvement and derive the maximum
benefit. The benefit of realizing our full
divine potential! That we are God!

With this preamble, we would like to recount
what happened in Sai Kulwant Hall in the
afternoon of July 3rd. Swami came in as
usual to the sound of Veda chanting by the
students, staff and devotees. After He took
His seat in the veranda, He started reading
the letters that devotees usually hand Him.
On opening one oversized envelope, He took
out what seemed to be a booklet. Swami
perused it carefully and then called one of
our brothers, an alumnus of Swami's
Institute now working for the Ashram, who is
part of the group that leads the
congregation in the Veda chants. Handing him
the booklet at a page open to a "comic-book"
strip on Vivekananda entitled I AM GOD,
Swami told him that he should read it to
understand the importance of the Vedas that
they are chanting. Our brother took the
booklet respectfully and resumed his seat.

After a
few minutes, he was called again to the
Divine Presence and given instructions by
Swami for the Narayana Upanishad to be
recited and the meaning to be explained to
the assembly. The "Vedam Group" first
chanted a couple of stanzas from this epic
hymn, which were then translated by our
brother for the benefit of the audience. And
so on it went, a couple of stanzas at a
time, till the entire Narayana Upanishad
mantram was thus translated for the
benefit of the congregation.

The
Narayana Upanishad deals with the glory of
Lord Narayana as extolled in the four
Vedas. The opening stanzas deal with
creation and describes what we learn from
the Rig Veda - that from Narayana emerged
the life principle, mind, all the senses,
sky, fire, water and earth; which all
combined together to form the Universe.
Brahma, Maha Rudra, Indra, all the
prajapathis and the other demi-Gods all
emerged from Narayana. The twelve Adityas,
the eleven rudras, the eight lords
of directions, all the Vedas and all types
of wealth were born from Narayana.
Everything is sustained by Him and
ultimately everything merges in Him.

From the
Yajur Veda we learn that Narayana is the
eternal principle. Brahma, Siva and Indra
are all Narayana. Earth and Heaven, Time and
Directions are all Narayana. Narayana forms
the inner and outer worlds. Everything is
the manifestation of Narayana. Past, and the
future are all manifestations of Narayana.
Narayana is blemishless, ever blissful, and
non-dual. There is nothing which is not
Narayana. Narayana is the very Supreme self,
the one without a second. Narayana and
Vishnu pervade the entire universe. It is
Narayana alone who exists.

The Sama
Veda declares that the primordial sound "OM"
has to be uttered first followed by "Namo".
Then comes the meditation on "Narayana". "
Om " is single lettered; "Namo" is two
lettered and "Narayana" is five lettered.
All these together form the eight lettered
mantra OM NAMO NARAYANA, which is the king
of all the mantras. Those who chant this
mantra with sincere faith and devotion, will
attain good health, long life and
prosperity. They will also attain the status
of "Prajapathi". They will attain the
immortal state of Narayana Himself.

The
Pranava (" OM ") is made up of three
syllables A, U,
and M. Pranava is verily
the life principle. Pranava is supreme
bliss. It is the supreme state of Brahma or
Atma. The masters of Yoga, who know this
adore the Pranava chanting " Om " and attain
the abode of liberation. Such yogis break
the bonds of birth, life and death. Those
who adore the mantra, "Om Namo Narayana"
will attain the supreme abode 'Vaikunta'.
Narayana is 'Parabrahma'. His seat is the
lotus of the heart. Knowledge of this Lord
is the highest wisdom. This wisdom shines
like lightning. Sri Krishna, the son of
Devaki, is the very embodiment of Brahma. He
is also adored as Madhusudhana. He resides
in all beings. He is the fundamental basis
of everything. He Himself is causeless. He
is the causeless cause of everything. This
is what is pronounced in the Atharva Veda.

The
last stanza of the mantram calls
this Narayana Upanishad as the crest jewel
of the essence of the four Vedas. If this
Upanishad is chanted in the morning, it
destroys the sin committed the previous
night. If it is chanted in the evening, it
removes the sin committed in the day. If it
is chanted at noon , it pulverises the five
great sins. One who chants this Upanishad
will attain the merit of the study of the
Vedas and ultimately attains oneness with
Narayana.

When the
translation was thus going on, explaining
the importance of the OM NAMO NARAYANA
mantra and how it would help us attain
the supreme abode Vaikunta, Swami asked a
question in English to our brother (doing
the translation) in a voice just loud enough
to carry to him, "What is the meaning of
Vaikuntham?" Hah, a divine trick question!
For most of us the answer would have been
pat and along expected lines - Vaikuntha is
the abode of Lord Vishnu. But this brother,
better informed than most and with great
presence of mind, remembered a definition
that Swami had given in a discourse and
answered, "Vaikuntham is anything that is
not narrow, but broad and ever expansive".
Swami beamed at this answer that He was
looking for, and wore the proud smile of a
teacher who realizes that Her students are
finally "getting it".

At the end
of the mantra, a pregnant silence
prevailed in the entire hall. Swami raised
His palm in the classical upward gesture
that He so often makes to elevate everyone's
mood. And then suddenly, without any warning
Bhagavan waved His right hand vigorously and
materialized a beautiful golden necklace.
After undoing the clasp, He called the
brother who had done the translation and
handed the necklace to him. Bhagavan also
told him something to which he listened very
carefully.

By now the
entire audience was electrified. The
magnificence of the necklace was patently
visible to all, even to those seated in the
last rows. We also wondered if there was
going to be a revelation and we were not
disappointed.

The
brother turned to the audience with the
necklace held up. Hurriedly a mike was set
up for him. He then explained to all the
significance of the necklace, as explained
to him by Bhagavan. Bhagavan had said that
the necklace contained the power of the
sacred mantra - "Om Namo Narayanaya." He
went on to state that Swami explained to him
that all the Vedas, Upanishads and the other
scriptures illumine the path that man has to
take to attain his final destination -
Divinity. The mantra "Om Namo Narayanaya"
contains the essence and power of all the
scriptures. The fatherly and motherly aspect
of divinity is contained in this mantra.
Without either of them, there can be no
creation. But, if one were to contemplate
deeply, said Swami, one would realize that
there is no difference between the two
aspects- Purusha (God) and Prakruthi
(nature), they are indeed one and the same.

After
explaining the significance, our brother
turned towards Swami and held the necklace
to hand it back to Him. Swami asked him to
keep it in his pocket and return it to Him
later. What a signal honour! And what a
delightful afternoon basking in the divine
presence. How slowly and patiently Swami
leads us back to Him. For all of us present
there the Narayana Upanishad will come alive
everyone time it is chanted, for then the
divine images from this afternoon's
happening will come before the mind's eye
and thrill us to the very depths of our
being. Clearly the time has come. And the
time is right now. Let us arise, awake,
aspire, adore and achieve God!

This
brings to a conclusion the chronicles of
another month at the divine Lotus Feet. It
has been an exquisite month, full of
surprises and spiritual gifts. And we are
sure more is in store as we count down to
the 80th Birthday. We, of course, will
continue to report on all the activities for
you, our dear reader.